


Hi-yo Silver

by AshesInTheCloset



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Gender Neutral Character, Humor, M/M, Other, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 13:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 17,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18032609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshesInTheCloset/pseuds/AshesInTheCloset
Summary: Lt. Dick Winters heads to the war front with Easy Company during WWII, leaving his family and sister Rachel behind. A year passes and the unthinkable happens, what happens when a journalist gets caught in the crossfire and a sergeant falls in love?





	1. Chapter 1

August 25, 1941

The sun rose somberly behind the three story house, a young redheaded man stealthily tiptoed across the hallway to the stairs; afraid to wake his parents and his sister. It was still dark despite the small slivers of gold and yellow filtering through the blinds, as he placed his foot onto the steps of the stairs to head down the floorboards moaned under the pressure of his foot. "Crap!" He hissed under his breath, behind him a door quietly creaked open and a pair of bright blue eyes peeked out from the darkness. 

"Richie...?" A small voice peeped. 

"Uh, Race, go back to sleep." He replied frantically. "Please." The door opened a bit more and a young lady slipped out of the opening. She walked up to the man and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly, he hugged back. "Rachel, please, I have to go." 

The girl, Rachel, pulled away with a frown and nodded before pulling a small bag of cookies out of the pocket of her nightgown. "These are for you," she whispered, "Come back in one piece. Kick those Krauts' butt!" Richard chuckled softly and ruffled the girl's hair. 

"I'll miss you, Race," he shoved the bag of cookies in his coat pocket, "Keep on chasing those stories, 'kay?" Rachel smiled and nodded before he pulled her into another hug. 

"Goodbye." Rachel said as he walked down the steps. 

"See you soon, Racer. I'll write back, I promise." 

\--- 

May 28, 1944, England 

"Ray!" An annoyed middle aged man yelled over the phone, "You were sent to report the story, not be a tourist!" 

"I'm real sorry, sir," a young blonde stuttered, "If it makes you happy, I managed to get in as long as I don't get in the way." Rachel was now 19, her hair was cut short- just above the ears giving her the appearance of a boy- and had pursued her dreams of being a journalist. A duffle bag sat by her heels, her mind filled with the knowledge of war and medical procedures. She knew how to shoot a gun, stitch a bullet hole, morse code, and self defense. 

"Just," the man on the other side of the phone sighed, "Don't get yourself shot, you're our best journalist." 

"Don't worry about me, Mr. Malcolm," Rachel peeped cheerily, "I'm too fast for death to catch me." And with that the two said their goodbyes and hung up, after about a minute Rachel heaved a of stress and relief- ironic how one can feel these two things at once- picked up her bag and headed onto the ship where the soldiers awaited. Richard was on this ship, the two had passed each other once or twice but it seemed that he didn't recognize her with the short hair. As the boarding ramp came closer, her stomach churned as she peered inside; dim lighting and numbers of gruff looking men roamed about. 

"Nervous son?" A familiar voice chimed from behind her. Rachel quickly whipped her head back to see her older brother, "Where's your uniform?" 

"Oh no," Rachel shook her head, "I-I'm the journalist." 

"Ah, what was your name again?" Rachel didn't want to tell him or else he'd freak, she bit her tongue and smiled. 

"Ray." Rachel flat out lied, "Ray Pearl." 

"Winters, Dick Winters." Richard extended his hand in a friendly gesture, Rachel glanced down at it and gently shook it, "Nice to meet you Pearl." 


	2. The Journalist becomes the Private

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lt. Nixon searches for Ray on the ship, he had received word that the journalist had some basic training and would like him to become a private. The question is, will Ray accept and fight this war while writing stories or will she back down?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be confusing a bit, I will be using he/him pronouns when Rachel is portrayed as a soldier- no one knows she's a girl yet so...

Ray weaved his way through the sea of men in uniforms, some tall and some short. Some stock thin, some more husky. Some young, some middle aged. As Ray was whisking his head back and forth and all around he didn't see where he was going, he bumped straight into a young man with short curly brown hair and stubborn brown eyes- Ray landed on his rear end, his bag falling besides him. "I-I'm sorry," Ray fumbled onto his knees and clutched the strap of his bag, "I wasn't looking where I was going-" 

"Hey," the latter replied politely, "No worries, here lemme help ya." He extended his hand out to the smaller man which Ray took graciously, and he yanked the blonde man up quickly. Ray stumbled at the sudden motion and tried to steady himself, the other man held him to stop the wobbling. 

"Uh, thanks." 

"Hey no problem! I'm Liebgott, Joseph Liebgott. Nice to meet ya!" Joseph smiled proudly. 

"Ray," Ray nodded politely, "Ray Pearl." Liebgott nodded his head and firmly shook Ray's hand. The question about Ray's uniform was brought up again, causing him to explain about his career. 

"Ah," Liebgott gasped in understanding as the two walked to find some empty bunks, "Say, Pearl, where ya from anyways? I'm from Detroit." 

"Lanchester," the blonde man replied as he spotted an empty bunk above five taken bunks by a window- a beautiful view of the ocean outside- and tossed his bag up before climbing up. "Lanchester, Pennsylvania." 

"East coaster huh?" Liebgott picked the bunk next to Ray's, five bunks above the floor. "Y'know our lieutenant Winters' from there too!" Once hearing this, Ray froze in his place; laying on his back with his feet laying flat on the bunk. Rachel's brother... 

Liebgott began to greet other soldiers he seemed to know: Perconte, Randlemen, Luz, and Toye. From the looks of their interactions they seemed to have been close, something that Rachel would hardly have. As the other men chatted away, Ray glumly scuttled down to continue wandering. Camera hanging from his neck, as he passed a group of filled bunks he noticed a rugged man with harsh blue eyes. The two of them made eye contact for a brief moment before the harsh blue eyed man quickly turned his head away. 

"You must be the journalist!" A voice startled the poor Ray, it was another soldier, a captain, "Welcome aboard boy!" 

"U-uh, thank you sir." Ray smiled awkwardly, "Thank you for allowing me aboard." 

"Well, just know that you might not make it back alive." Well that was reassuring. 

"Oh." 

"Say," the captain pulled out a small notebook from his chest pocket, "It says here that you had some basic training. Why'd you quit?" Ray gulped hard, his mouth ran dry. 

"W-well, it was due to family issues." The captain was silent, he nodded in understanding and didn't press any further. "Ah, I'm Ray, Ray Pe-" 

"Ray Pearl," the other man smiled, "I'm Cpt. Nixon. Lewis Nixon." The two shook hands and Nixon stared down the blonde man for a moment. Although Ray was small in stature, he had the spark of a fighter in his eyes and Nixon could see it clearly. The captain smirked with realization. 

"Well," Nixon tilted his head, "Since you know your way around a gun, let's get you into a uniform! I think there's a small uniform in the crew's galley." He placed a firm hand on his shoulder 

"S-sir," Ray jolted as the captain lead him to the galley, "I came here to report a story, not to be part of it!" Little did Ray know, he was walking into his death. 

"You're what? A journalist?" 

"Yes sir." 

"Not anymore you're not! You're officially a private!" 

"But sir-" 

"Welcome to the army!" He patted Ray's back in congratulations. 

"Thank you sir..."


	3. Tiny Soldier

As Nixon dragged Ray along to the crew's galley to get a uniform, the small blonde tried to protest against it. Ray kept on insisting that he would be fine without one, "Nix," a voice came from behind the two, it was Winters. "What are you doing with our journalist?"

"Getting him a uniform of course!" Nix beamed as Ray shook his head and mouthed the words 'help me.' Richard glanced down into the boy's blue eyes then back to Nix. 

"But... He isn't in the army..." 

"Well he is now!" Nix patted the boy's shoulder. 

"He's a journalist, not a soldier." 

"Look, Dick," Nixon opened the door to the room, "We need all the help we can get. And it turns out that Pearl here had some basic training!" 

"But he's a journalist!" The two men began to argue with Ray in the midst of it. It was stressful, of course Ray was actually a girl- Richard's sister- and a journalist, but she did want to be of help to end this war. The arguing went on and Ray slipped away into the galley, closing the door behind him. The arguing stopped. 

The young journalist fumbled his hands around the wall in search for a light switch, once he found it and switched it on he noticed a small uniform and hat hanging on a rack across from him. He shuffled over to the outfit, carefully ran his hand across the sleeve, huffed and then began to strip out of his regular attire. Once everything was on, shirt was buttoned, trousers zipped, belt tightened, and hat was on, Ray stepped out of the room. "So, uh fellas..." Ray cleared his throat, "How am I supposed to shoot a gun like this?" He waved his arms which the sleeves completely consumed, his trousers covered up 80% of his legs, Winters found him absolutely adorable. 

"Huh," Winters shrugged, "That's the smallest one we have- wait- you're not joining the army." 

"Come on Dick," Nixon pleaded, "We need him." and then the arguing continued, Ray sighed and cleared his throat causing the two of them to quiet down. 

"Please Lt. Winters," Ray glanced up at the ginger man, "I want to help end this war. I want to save people and rid their fears and make them feel safe. Please... Let me do this." Finally, Dick sighed and scratched his neck. 

"Fine," he replied blandly, a grin forming on Ray's face, "But if I see you hesitate even oncethen you're back on the sidelines son. Understand?" 

"Yes sir." Ray peeped, "Also... This uniform is too big for me." 

"Well we can't trim it." Nix sighed, "And its the smallest uniform we have so you'll have to deal with it." Ray did not protest any further and that was the end of the uniform discussion. 

Richard walked Ray back to his bunk, the two were fairly silent. "You remind me of my younger sister back at home," Richard smiled with pride as he said this but Ray went cold, "She's a journalist too." 

"She sounds nice," Ray glanced up at him, "I feel honored that I remind you of her." 

"Rachel," Dick nodded his head, "Her name is Rachel, but I call her Race- due to her love of watching horse races and car races- and she was on the track team in high school." 

"Was she a fast runner?" Ray teased subtly- Ray new that Rachel wasn't that fast; Ray was also Rachel in disguise- 

"She was average." Ray's joy suddenly took a nose dive at the last statement. The two passed Liebgott who quickly shot up in his bunk. 

"Hey, Pearl," a cigarette hanging from his lips, "What's with the uniform?" Lt. Winters began to explain to Ray's new acquaintance, Joe nodded and laid back down to relax. Ray said his goodbyes to Richard and he started to scurry up to his bunk, the legs of his pants swallowing his feet. Ray spent an hour reading and sketching while sitting on his bunk with his legs crossed and his books sitting in his lap. The sunlight filtered its way through the window and found its way to the pages the whole ship was peaceful and men were smoking, drinking, playing cards, sleeping or chattering away quietly. The scent of second hand smoke filled the little journalist's lungs, she wasn't used to it- her father never smoked, neither did Dick- she'd get used to it eventually. She closed her eyes and went back to a pleasent time in her memories. 

\--- 

"Race!" an 11 year old Dick called from downstairs, "Hurry up, we have to see Mrs. Brown!" seconds later the sound of small running footsteps could be heard. A little girl of 4 years, Rachel, appeared at the top of the steps and began to scurry down to the foyer. 

"Richard, Rachel," the kids mother came out from the kitchen, "Be home by lunchtime." 

"We will mom!" the two children chimed in unison before heading to the door. 

"Oh, and Richard?" 

"Yes?" 

"Be nice to your sister." 

"I will mom." the boy groaned, "Love you." 

"I love you momma!" Rachel interjected happily. Their mother blew the two of them a kiss and with that they were off. 

\--- 

Ray smiled as this memory played but it abruptly changed to a more dark time. 

\--- 

A three year old Rachel was tossed against a wall, her teddy bear slipping from her grip, in her peripheral vision she could see a woman covered in bruises and sobbing, a man scowled at Rachel. The thick scent of whiskey and second hand smoke suffocated her, the embers from the cigar in the man's mouth drifted onto the girl's shoulder and left a burn. 

Bang! 

Ray's eyes shot open and he glanced down to see Liebgott throwing punches at the rugged man with cold blue eyes from before, Ray sighed and made his way down his bunk.


	4. Ain't You a Ray of Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray made a friend

"Liebgott," one man shouted, "Stop!"

"Get him, Lieb!" another chimed in, as the commotion continued Ray shoved his way through the crowd and wedged himself between Liebgott and the other man. 

"That is enough!" he shoved Liebgott off of the blue eyed man, panting heavily, switching glances from his friend to the other man, "The both of you!" the two men glared at the small blonde between them, Ray shot a pleading glance at Lieb, his blue eyes sparkling with innocence. Ray then directed his gaze to the other man, his gaze hardened and the two blue eyed individuals held their ground with menacing stares. 

"Sorry, Pearlie." Liebgott mumbled annoyed. 

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Ray retorted sternly, his gaze still on the other man. 

"Fine. I'm sorry, Guarnere." Liebgott groaned, "Happy now?" Ray nodded kindly at his friend then whipped his head back to the other man. 

"Now you apologize." Ray scolded the man. 

"What?!" the other blue eyed man hissed, "No!" 

"Mister- what's your name?" 

"His name's Gonorrhea." Liebgott joked but stopped when the man shot him a death glare. 

"Guarnere." the man said glaring at Lieb, "Name's Guarnere." 

"Thank you. Now apologize Guarnere." Ray said coldly, his gaze sending chills down Guarnere's spine. Guarnere bit his tongue, glanced down at Ray then back up at Liebgott, then back at Ray. He sighed and clenched his teeth. 

"I apologize." he fumed. 

"That's better." Ray grinned, "Now let's all just get along?" everyone mumbled in agreement before shuffling off to their bunks or previous activites before the commotion. Guarnere stayed behind gazing down at the blonde man before him, he was slim and extremely pale. His short blonde hair glittered like stars in the dim light, his blue eyes were like a sea of grace. 

Ray didn't notice that Guarnere was staring until he turned to face him, Guarnere quickly looked away, "Why ya still here? What do ya want?" 

"What exactly did you say to anger Liebgott?" 

"Just called Sobel a Jew," Guarnere shrugged, "And Lieb came up telling me that he's a Jew too. I told him to get his nose outta my face and he punched me!" Ray stood there, his face bore the expression of confusion. Ray shrugged and glanced back to his bunk, Guarnere pursed his lips and sighed. 

"So what's your story journalist?" he sat on his bunk, "Rumor has it that Nix forced ya into the army." 

"He didn't," Ray corrected, "I wanted this." 

"Ah, well lemme say, you ain't gonna make it out alive kid." 

"My name isn't 'kid' it's Ray. Ray Pearl." 

"Ain't you the hoy polloi?" Guarnere mocked, "Name's Bill." 

"Pleasure." and with that Ray spun around on his heels and made his way back to his bunk. Bill watched the young man leave, Ray was indeed quiet odd. 

Evening fell and everyone made their way to the mess hall of the ship, Ray quickly shoved his camera away in his bag before maneuvering his body to climb down only to lose his footing. He fell from 7 feet above the ground, he shut his eyes and awaited the pain. 

"Gotcha!" Ray stopped, he didn't feel the shocking pain from the impact of his back hitting the floor. The boy turned his head and saw a smiling Liebgott. "That was a close one, Pearlie." 

"Lieb," Ray sighed with relief, "Thanks." 

"Y'know you can always call me Joe." he gently placed Ray on his feet. 

"Alright, Joe. Thanks again." and with that the two friends shuffled away together. 

"You know where you're sittin Ray?" Joe asked as the two of them got in line. 

"Nope, I was probably going to sit with Richar- uh Lt. Winters." 

"Wanna sit with me and my buds? There's plenty o' room for ya." 

"I'd like that." Ray beamed. The two friends grabbed their trays and waited to get their serving of mashed potatoes and gravy. As Joe finished taking a mug of water he waited for Ray, the blonde saw a bottle of root beer and snatched it up gleefully. Joe smiled and lead Ray to his group of friends and started to introduce them to the new addition to the crew. 

"Fellas, this is Pearl," he patted Ray's shoulder, "Ray Pearl. He's a journalist but I'm pretty sure ya know that already." Everyone said their greetings and started introducing themselves. 

There was a man named Joe Toye, he seemed very sassy and a humorous man. George Luz the main jokester of the squad. Doc Eugene Roe, the kindest man you'd ever meet with a Cajun accent. Babe Hefferon, another sweet man. Frank Perconte, the oblivious dude. David Webster, the handsome nerd of the group. Warren Muck and Alex Penkala the inseparable duo. Last but not least, Johnny Martin the grumpy one. 

"It's nice to meet all of you," Ray smiled politely, "It's an honor to take your stories and fight besides you." 

"Heya fellas," a gruff voice butted in, "Mind if I join ya?" no one objected, so Bill took a seat across from Ray oblivious to the young blonde's presence. Ray took a moment to take note of Bill's physical appearance, everything from his angry eyebrows to his perfectly right angled jawline. Bill finally noticed little Ray staring at him, the two locked eyes for a brief moment and then quickly turned their heads away. 

"What's Ray of sunshine doin here?" Bill grumbled as he poked at his food. 

"Ray just happens to be our new friend." Lieb replied full of pride. 

"Well, he ain't my friend." Bill hissed. 

"Fine by me." Ray shrugged, causing everyone to laugh- everyone but Bill that is. "What? Upset that I polluted the table with my presence?" Bill just growled and rolled his eyes. 

"I'm ignorin you." 

"See?" Toye beamed, "You two are gettin along just fine!" Ray looked down at his food and smiled softly, Bill wouldn't admit that he found Ray interesting.


	5. Two Sides, Same Coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth about Rachel.

Once everyine finished their meal they all filed back to their bunks, everyone but Ray. He wandered out to the starboard side of the deck and stood by the railing, he gazed out to the shimmering sea reflecting the beauty of the starry night sky, he placed his hand on his chest and felt the small lump of bandages rhat binded her breasts. He reached inside his coat and pulled out a silver locket, he opened it up to reveal an old family photo. It showed an infant girl and her two parents, it was Rachel's family... But where was Richard? 

Ray gently ran a finger across the mother's face, he smiled sadly but jumped when he heard footsteps approaching him. The boy quickly shoved the locket back into his jacket and acted like he was just looking at the horizon the entire time. "What are you doing out here private?" it was Richie, Ray could recognize his voice anywhere. 

"Uh nothing lieutenant." Ray straightened his coat. 

"Stargazing?" Winters leaned against the rail next to him, Ray nodded politely, "I like gazing at the stars too. Rachel loved looking at the stars." Winters smiled brightly, how Ray admired that smile. 

"You seem to really care for your sister, I'm guessing you two are pretty close?" 

"Yeah," Winters chuckled, "But it wasn't always like that. You see, Race was adopted." Ray tensed in his place and his gaze became cold and distant, he didn't want to go back to that place. The bad place. Richard noticed the distant look in Ray's eyes, he gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. 

"You okay?" He asked calmly. 

"Yeah," Ray sighed, "I'm good, just tired..." 

"You should get some rest then." 

"I will, good night lieutenant." Ray saluted Richard before he turned to head back to his bunk for the night. Richard watched as the small blonde faded into the night, he then turned back to the stars and sighed. 

"I hope you're doing alright, Racer," he ran a hand down his sleep deprived face, "I'm sorry I haven't been writing to you lately..." moments later he decided to leave for sleep as well. Leaving the deck empty and desolate underneath the stars. 

Ray lay in his bunk with his arms tucked under his head, the rays of moonlight found their way to his torso whiched rose up and cascaded down steadily. The time was 2100 (9:00 PM), time had slipped from Ray's grip and it continued to fade away while he laid there. He closed his eyes, drifting off to nothing but empty. There he saw himself, the true Ray- Rachel- her hair was long, a delicate silk nightgown flowed in the breeze, and she was beautiful. Rachel glanced at her reflection, Ray, and smiled warmly, "You got to see Richie," Rachel's long hair tangled and licked against Ray's cheek, "He's alright." 

"And I'm glad he is," Ray smiled back, "But he doesn't know." he replied painfully. 

"No one does. Not even momma or papa." 

"Not even him." Ray hissed coldly and scowled, "I don't ever want to think about him again, hear his name, see his face. Not after what he's done." he unbuttoned his uniform to reveal her binded chest and a long faded scar on the left shoulder. Rachel gently slid the left sleeve of her dress off to show the exact same scar. 

"I am you," Rachel held out her hand. "And you are me." Ray placed his hand against hers. He opened his eyes and was back in reality, he clutched his chest to feel the locket and his steady beating heart. Ray sighed and glanced out the window once more before finally closing his eyes and drifting off to sweet slumber. 

\-- 

Meanwhile, in Nixon's and Winters' room... 

Richard hung up his coat as Lewis sat in his bunk behind him with a bottle of Vat69 in his hand. Dick sat down next to him and smiled softly, "Ray seems like a nice boy," he stated as he placed his hat in his lap, "Don't you think Lew?" 

"Yeah," Lewis replied as he gently tucked the bottle of alcohol away in his companion's foor locker, "It's horrible what war can do to innoncence like his." 

"Can we not talk about that right now?" Dick groaned. 

"What? You know its true." 

"Yeah, but now is not the time Lew." 

"Fine, fine." Lew raised his hands in defense before quickly changing the subject, "So, how's your family back home?" 

"They're doing alright," Dick nodded, "My sister is at college and a journalist, haven't heard from her in a while- maybe because I haven't been writing to her in fear of what she'd say or do.- I'm kind of worried about her and I don't know where she is." 

"She didn't tell you in one of her letters?" 

"Nope." Dick sighed, "I just hope that she isn't being taken advantage of by some monster..." he crumpled his hat in anger as he began to remember the night his mother told him about Rachel. 

\-- 

Mrs. Winters sat Richard down on his bed and closed the door behind her, Dick knew this was something serious because she had on that 'terrifying mother face'."Now Richard," his mother straightened out her apron, "I know you don't technically like Rachel, but you have to understand why she's here." 

"Because her parents didn't want her anymore." the young Richard interrupted, "That's why they left her at our doorstep." 

"No, honey." Mrs. Winters sighed, "The night we found her at our doorstep there was a note left with her. Her father- her real father- was a monster. He did horrendous things to her, hurt her and her mother. Rachel's mom thought it would be best if she left her with us...""Forever?!" Richard cried angrily."No sweet pea, until she's ready to head out on her own." 

\-- 

Lew gently placed a hand on his friend's knee, "Dick," his calk voice snapped the ginger back to reality, "She's gonna be okay, I know she will. She had you as an older brother!" he chuckled softly causing Dick to grin warmly. Oh how he wished to hold Lew's hand, to hold him in his arms, to just be with him. 

"You're right," he quickly stood up and straightened out his shirt, "Well, goodnight Nix." he grinned before rolling into his bed. Lew gazed at his friend and felt at ease knowing that Dick was at a state of peace, he smiled softly and began to bury his legs under the covers. 

"Goodnight Dick."


	6. Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awe, friendly interactions

600 AM

"Rise and shine boys!!!" Nix shouted loudly, "We've got work to do!" his wake up call was met with disgruntled groans and muffled curses. Liebgott yawned and rubbed his eyes, the young man stretched his arms and glanced over to see a still sleeping Ray and sighed. 

"Hey, Pearlie," he scratched his head, "Time to wake up, c'mon." he patted the bunk of the blonde but it did not do much. He groaned and took his pillow, chucked it at the blonde and hissed, "Pearlie wake up!" 

"Don't wanna!" Ray mumbled, "Leave me alone." 

"Winters's gonna kill ya." 

"Fine." Ray sat up and playfully threw the pillow back at Joe, "Race ya to the washroom!" He jumped off his bunk and landed with a loud thump and the grace of a ballerina. He looked up at Joe smugly and smirked with a wink before dashing off. Joe groaned and rolled his eyes before jumping off his bunk and running after his friend, although Ray was short he was fast. 

Ray was leaning against a wall next to one of the washroom doors, he patiently waited for Joe to come around. The door next to the blonde opened violently and low and behold, Luz was standing there with messy hair. He noticed little Ray in the corner and he smiled, "Sunshine!" he patted the boy's head, "Good morning!" 

"Uh, good morning to you too Luz." Ray smiled warmly, George couldn't help but blush and ruffle the boy's hair, "Uh, Luz?" 

"Oh, sorry kid." he stopped and turned to leave, "See ya soon." 

"Ray!" Liebgott shouted from the end of the hall, "There you are, I thought I lost ya in this big ship." 

"Well you found me." 

"God, there's like a sea of men in here Ray, it's easy to lose someone as small as you!" 

"I'M NOT SMALL!!!" 

"Whatever, let's just hurry up, I'm hungry." 

Minutes later, Ray and Joe made their way to their group. The men were clean shaved, boisterous and full of life as always, Guarnere quickly shot his head up when he heard Ray's voice. 

"So I said to him," Ray was telling a humorous story to Lieb as they walked, "I've interviewed a pilot before, of course I know how to fly a plane!" Joe burst into laughter as well as Ray, when the two of them took their seats- Ray between Lieb and Luz and across from Guarnere- Guarnere just rolled his eyes. 

"You two could practically be twins!" Luz chimed in cheerfully. 

"Ray even ain't that funny." Guarnere said rudely. Ray just stared at him. 

"Excuse me," he placed a hand over his chest, "But I am a delight to be around!" everyone at the table chuckled. 

"Not to me ya ain't. To me you're just another pain in the behind." Ray nodded in agreement, gaining some goofy grins from the other men and then dug into his breakfast. Eventually Nix and Winters joined the group. 

"Mornin, boys." Winters said as he sat next to Guarnere, "Hope you all slept well." 

"Bold of you to assume that I slept, lieutenant." Ray replied as he wiped the corner of his lips. 

"Wait, Ray ya didn't sleep?" Lieb nudged the boy's arm, "Last I saw you, you were out like a log!" 

"I tried to sleep." 

"Ray," Winters sighed with concern, "You need sleep son." 

"How can I sleep when I'm dying to write down all your stories?" this remark caused Nix to grin, Winters sighed for it was no use to argue with this boy. 

"That sounds like something my sister would say." Dick smiled as he shook his head, "She always had a hard time sleeping due to her active imagination." Ray smiled back at him. 

Nix and Winters began to tell the men that they would be getting ammo ready, cleaning their guns and doing some good old military pushups on the deck of the ship. Everyone groaned when they heard about the exercises they had to do- in the heat might I add.- Ray sucked up his reluctance and took a big sip of his water, filling the area of the table with a loud gulp. 

The time was now 730, Nix placed Ray in Easy Company. Lucky enough, Easy just had to run 4 laps around the deck of the ship for the moment, Ray was one of the slowest of the company but he was well paced. Ray didn't care about speed, what mattered was endurance and he was damn good at it. 

"Come on, Ray!" Winters ran besides him yelling, "Faster, do you want the Krauts to kill you?!" 

"N- gulp- No sir." Ray huffed, running with the bandages over her chest hurt. 

"Run faster!!! I know you can do it!" 

"Yes sir!" and with that the blonde picked up his pace, his legs screamed violently and his chest ached. Easy had to finish all 4 laps in 13 minutes or less, and Ray was close to failing. 11 more minutes and 1.5 more laps, Ray groaned and cursed under his breath before running faster. 

Finally Ray finished his last lap and time was called. Winters waited for him at the finish line with a stopwatch, Ray jumped to the finish line only to flop onto refreshing cold deck. "And, time!" Winters grinned, "Good job son." He knelt besides an exhausted and panting Ray. 

"Th-thanks." Ray weakly gave him a thumbs up, Winters smiled and patted the boy's head, from the distance he could see Liebgott making his way over with two canteens of water. 

"Seems like your friend is here son." and with that Winters left. Ray weakly rolled over to see Joe's grinning face, he smiled back as a greeting. 

"Hey there Pearlie," Joe plopped down besides his friend, "Here, thought you might need it." he handed him a canteen of water which Ray gratefully accepted. The blonde took a large swig of the water, forgetting his manners, Lieb didn't seem to mind- this was the army after all- he just smiled with a sense of parental pride. 

"Thanks, Joey." Ray said as he licked the water residue off his lips, "For caring for some nobody like me." 

"Ey, you ain't a nobody, Pearlie. You're my friend and my comrade, that don't make you a nobody." 

"You mean that?" Ray was surprised to hear a man he just met call him friend. It felt nice. "I count as a... friend?" 

"Course ya do ya goof!" Joe playfully smacked the blonde's shoulder before jumping to his feet, "Now c'mon, we got some guns to clean." he extended his hand out to Ray who looked up at him with those innocent blue eyes. Ray smiled and took his hand, Joey quickly yanked him up and prepared to be Ray's support if he were to fall again. For once in his life, Ray felt like he could belong as the person she truly was...


	7. To Drop or Not to Drop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: possible (and sleepy) fluff

Over the course of the next few days the same routine was repeated: exercises and weapon sorting and cleaning. Finally the ship reached England and everyone got settled in to the camp, they had about one and a half days before the big drop off in Normandy. Most of the men squeezed themselves into a big tent where they were showing a film of some sorts, Ray didn't care for the movie and he wandered around the camp. The sky was shrouded with thick clouds, the air was chilly, he leaned against a stack of boxes and pulled out his leatherback journal. 

~~~ 

June 4, 1944. We've gotten to Upottery, England, the sky is grey and its a bit cold but I think I can manage. I'm a bit scared about the drop, nervous and somewhat excited; I just hope Richie and I will make it back to the states. 

~~~ 

"Hey there, Pearl," Nix chimed behind the boy, "Why aren't you watching the movie with the others?" 

"Oh," Ray turned his head, "I don't find it interesting. What about you sir?" 

"I've seen the movie a couple of times, so I'm not missing much." Nix took a sip from a silver flask, Ray nodded in understanding and stared down at the pages of his journal. His writing was small and somewhat messy- it was all in cursive- unlike Dick's meticulous penmanship. Ray's train of thoughts were interrupted when Nix offered him a cigarette, Ray glanced down at the box then back at Nix before shaking his head. 

"I don't smoke," He shrugged, "But thanks." Nix smiled and shrugged back. 

"You and Dick are so alike." he shook his head, Ray grinned softly and closed his journal, he said his goodbyes before wandering off to his empty tent. Once he was alone with the white noise and his thoughts, he plopped down onto his cot with a loud sigh. 

~Several hours earlier~ 

Everyone groggily filed off the ship and into the camp, it was 0300 and all anyone wanted was sleep, Ray found himself not tired at all- although he lacked about two and a half days of sleep- and he was full of energy. A blonde man, Buck Compton, began to yell tent arrangements and to Ray's surprise he was with Liebgott, Guarnere, Toye and Luz. Ray was a bit relieved to know that he was in the same tent with someone he knew. Once everyone was in their assigned tent they all fell asleep, except Ray. 

~~~ 

As the coolness of the tent flowed over Ray's body, the tent flaps opened slightly and the blonde was disturbed by angry shuffling. An irritated sigh could be heard and louder shuffling, whoever had entered was oblivious to Ray's presence. Ray slowly rolled over onto his back only to see a familiar figure, he slowly propped himself up and held his knees to his chest. 

"Goddammit," Guarnere cursed under his breath, "Stupid Luz, spoiling the movie..." 

"Guarnere...?" Ray's voice slithered out groggily causing Guarnere to jump, the blonde was low on energy. 

"Sunshine?!" Guarnere's voice struck Ray like a bolt of lightning, "The hell ya doin in here?" 

"I didn't wanna watch the movie..." Ray yawned and rubbed his eyes, Guarnere found this somewhat adorable, the small strands of gold hair falling before the young man's blue eyes like a curtain. 

"What? Ya don't like it?" 

Ray shook his head gently. 

"Pft. You have no taste!" 

"I find most movies in that genre highly boring." Bill tilted his head in acceptance before sitting on his cot across from Ray's, the tent falling silent, the blonde's eyes grew heavy and his head lulled gently. Ray was on the verge of falling asleep but he would not allow himself to, for every time his body began to fall with sleep he jolted himself awake. Guarnere couldn't help but chuckle, causing Ray to scowl at him. 

"Sorry, sunshine," Bill shook his head, "You just remind me of a tiny kitten." 

"I am not tiny!" Ray hissed tiredly, "I'll show you I'm not tiny..." he yawned and rubbed his eyes again. 

"Get some rest, sunshine. Ya didn't seem to sleep ever since we got here." 

"But I'm not... Not tired..." 

"Uh-huh. And I'm the king of New York." 

"Shut up..." and with that the blonde fell back into his cot, breathing softly and steadily. He had fallen asleep. Guarnere shook his head with a grin before getting up and pulling a thin blanket over the boy's figure, gently brushing the bangs from his face and then sat back down on his cot. 

\--- 

"Hey," Guarnere roughly shook a sleeping Ray, "Sunshine, wake up! Compton's speaking." Ray grumbled and stirred gently before propping himself up into sitting posposition. "Good mornin sleepin beauty." Guarnere smirked. 

"Mnh..." Ray rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "What time is it...?" 

"I dunno, like 1733 maybe?" 

"Ngh... I don't wanna..." 

"C'mon or you're gonna get your ass handed to you!" 

"Okay..." Ray rolled out of his cot and followed Guarnere out to where the others were. Apparently there wasn't going to be a drop tonight, the sky was still thick with grey. Men groaned and cursed under their breaths, Ray was somewhat relieved but he had to deal with the risk of being found out... She sighed and began to follow everyone else to the mess hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did ya see that Newsies reference?


	8. Photographs

Lieb and Ray got their food and sat with a big group like always, but something felt different. There was less tension between Bill and Ray, which the others took as Bill being tired of picking on the poor boy. All the men were chatting about their lives back home, about their families and about all goofy memories they could recall, Ray couldn't help but smile at it all. All of these soldiers, these men, these humans... They had emotions too.

"Hey, Luz," Toye smirked, "How bout an arm wrestling match? You and me." 

"Oh you're on Joe." Luz smirked back before rolling up his sleeve. The others cheered for the two, all with grins and beers in hand. Ray just shook his head and pulled out his camera to snap a photo of this goofy moment, click, the flash went off and seconds later a photo slid out from the camera. 

"Hey," Bill chirped, "Why ya takin a picture of those two goons? Take one of us tough guys!" Ray nodded and turned his camera towards the smiling Bill, his camera flashed and the photo was taken. Ray took the photo of Guarnere and showed the man across the table from him. 

"Whaddya think?" he peeped, "Want it in the papers?" 

"Hey! You're photography skills are amazing sunshine!" Bill acknowledged the boy, "And go ahead and put that in the papers!" Ray smiled and nodded before he slid the photo into his journal. Ray wondered how all these people could have so much hope and joy in such a dark time like this, when tomorrow might be the day they die; Joey, Richie, Bill, any one of them could be lost... 

"Hey," Liebgott placed a hand on Ray's shoulder, "You okay? You seem to be in a daze there Pearlie." 

"Yeah," Ray replied softly, "Just... Just tired." 

"What?" Bill remarked as Toye slammed Luz's arm onto the table triumphantly. "Ya just slept!" 

"I know..." 

"Maybe a cold shower will wake you up, Ray." Liebgott suggested. 

"Is it empty right now?" 

"Psh! Yeah but why are ya worrying about that? We're all men here, right fellas?" Everyone hummed in agreement to Joe's statement, everyone but Ray who sat there awkwardly. 

"I just... I'm selfconscious..." 

"Well alright then," Joe rolled his eyes, "Finish your dinner then you can go shower." Ray nodded and quickly shoveled down his army spaghetti, he wiped his lips with the flimsy napkin he had and then took his dishes to be washed before he left for the showers. 

As the blonde left the mess hall, all of Easy Company's eyes were on him. Ray was small in stature, his shoulders weren't as wide as an average boy his age should be, the fact that he had the face of an angel and body of a glass figurine and voice of a dove had almost everyone in Easy wondering... Is Ray gay? There were clear and obvious clues that pointed to this theory: his appearance, the fact that he actually cares about his privacy in the army and the he sits was effeminate. 

"You boys thinkin what I'm thinkin?" Bill leaned forward, his voice quiet, "About Ray?" 

"That Ray likes men?" Toye blurted, gaining a smack on the back of the head from George. 

"We can't say that for sure," Joey shrugged as he stuck a cigarette in his mouth, "But something is definitely odd about him." 

"I don't like homos..." Bill hissed. 

"We don't have enough proof to claim that he is one, Gonorrhoea!" 

"Shut your trap!" 

"Either way," Joey shrugged, "He's a nice guy, so I wouldn't mind if he was gay or not." most of the other men nodded in agreement- except Bill, but you know how he is. 

While Ray rummaged through his duffel bag for a new pair of undergarments and a fresh set of bandages, his journal fell out of his chest pocket and as it landed it opened to a messy page with an old and worn down photo wedged between the bindings. "Ah shi-" he stopped himself from cursing any further and cleared his throat, "Shoot." he knelt down and picked up the book, he gingerly took the photo out from the bindings and took a good long look at it. A gentle smile ran across Ray's face as gazed at the photo of her and her mother. She was beautiful, Rachel looked exactly like her... 

Ray closed the door behind him before disappearing behind the shower curtain, making sure there was a lock of some sorts- which there wasn't- he sighed and gave up, hoping that no one would open the door he was behind. He unbuttoned his uniform and stripped down to his skin, his fingers grazed against the bandaged chest and she sighed deeply before taking a knife and cutting off the bandages while turning on the shower. She let them fall onto the dampened ground, the cold water soaked her golden hair and got caught in her eyelashes like little diamonds. As the water cascaded down her body, it washed away her sins and cleared her thoughts. 

Rachel stared at her wrists, she ran her thumb across a row of faded scars and sighed. She didn't want to remember but she had to accept that it was apart of her, "I promise," she whispered, "I promise I'll come back for you..." 

After Rachel dried herself off she binded her chest and pulled her panties on amd then pulled up her trousers before she tossed on her white tshirt on and hung her towel around her neck. She balled up her underwear from the previous day and slid it into her pocket. Rachel walked out of the shower as 'Ray', the effeminate boy with the golden hair and diamond blue eyes. 

When Ray entered his tent he spotted Joey(Lieb), Joe, George and Bill. The four of them were unaware of his presence, until Joey spun on his heels to face him. "Pearlie!" he said with a smile, "Feeling better?" Ray nodded kindly as he set down his things on his cot. 

"Were there any peeping toms?" Bill joked, Ray scoffed and rolled his eyes as he stealthily took his balled up underwear and quickly shoved it deep in his bag so that no one would notice; Joey caught a slight glimpse of his friend's odd action but shrugged it off.


	9. Chasing Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray wanders back into their past

Ray curled up underneath the thin blanket he had, he was the only one in his tent at the moment with only a dim gas lamp as his light source. He was restless and all he wanted was to look up at the stars and wander about but he was afraid of being scolded at, but his stubborness and thirst for adventure overpowered this fear and he jumped off his cot. His small feet covered in white socks hit the ground and he steadied himself in the dim light, allowing his eyes to adjust, he wobbled awkwardly around his cot to find his boots only to accidentally kick Toye's brass knuckles. "Augh!" Ray hissed in pain as he held his foot, "Joe you little- oh hey, my boots!" the blonde hopped into his combat boots and excitedly zippped out of the tent- reluctant to tie his laces.

The air was crisp and cool, the night sky was splattered with stars and planets, and Ray gaped in awe. He had remembered a day from his youth, he was 10 and Dick was 17... 

*** 

It was late June, Rachel had snuck out of her room through the window- which at first may seem like a dangerous idea since the Winters' house was 3 stories, but there were sturdy vines of ivy which tangled and twisted together creating a safe way to get down. It was around 11:44 PM, Rachel quietly slid her window open letting in a gentle midsummer night's breeze. Her light blue silk nightgown flowed gently as she stood by the opening, "Everything is so peaceful at night..." she whispered to herself as she grabbed her camera and placed her bare foot on the windowsill, "I'll only take a few minutes, what harm will it do?" and with that she began to climb down the vines of ivy until her feet touched the cool grass. 

She smiled softly and spun around happily, she gave the house one last glance before running off to a hill about 400 meters away. As her footsteps rustled in the grass, Richard awakened to see her small figure dart across the horizon, "Not again..." he sighed as he exited his bed. By the time Richard had his shoes and sweater on and was out the door she was already on top of the hill, her eyes twinkled like diamonds as she admired the constellations above her. She was like an angel sent down from the sky, or a shooting star. Rachel held up her camera and snapped as many photos as her heart desired, she wished to capture the beauty of the night sky and give it to those whom she loved deeply. 

Richard stood a yard behind her, hands in his pockets, afraid to pull her out from her childlike wonder, and sighed happily but defeated. "Race," He muttered, causing her to jump in her spot, "You know the rules. What are you doing out this late?" 

"I didn't want to- I wanted- I couldn't sleep, Richie..." she turned her head back to the sky, "I wanted to go on an adventure." she said with an innocent smile. 

"By yourself? In the middle of the night? Rachel, how many times did mom and dad tell you to not-" 

"I've snuck out of the house before, Richie, and I've returned perfectly alright." 

"That's not the point here, Racer!" he groaned, "What if someone were to snatch you and hurt you? No one would be able to hear you- let alone be able to see you!" 

"Then I can fight for myself." Rachel huffed. "Besides, why do you care? We're not even related." the last statement had jabbed Richard's heart painfully, she wasn't wrong but... It still hurt. 

"Because you're human!" Richard cried, "You're still just a child, and mom and dad care about you so... And... If anything were to happen to you, I'd be blamed." Rachel scoffed, she slowly hoisted herself back to her feet and walked past her brother. 

"Stupid, Richie," she smirked, "Ruining my adventures. Let's go before they find that we're both gone." 

*** 

"Pearl!" Nixon's voice broke through Ray's thoughts, "What are you doing?" the man walked up to him with a smile. 

"Oh," Ray looked to his feet in shame, "I just wanted to..." he mumbled the last part of his sentence, causing Nix to squint in confusion. 

"Wanted to what?" 

"I just wanted an adventure under the stars sir." 

"Well, mind if I join you?" 

"Sure." Ray beamed, and with that the two of them wandered off into the night. The two of them shared their hopes and dreams, Nix came from a family that owned a business- Ray forgot what kind of business it was though- and he adored dogs. 

"So, Ray," Nix finally asked, "What about you? What's your family like?" Ray froze in his tracks, his blood ran cold and he could feel his head spinning. 

"W-well... I-" before he could finish his sentence a hand patted his shoulder. 

"Hey, Nix- oh. Hi Ray," it was Richard, "Nix c'mon we have some planning to do." "

Aw," Nix whined, "But I was just getting to know our little journalist here." 

"Now." 

"Fine. See ya around Pearl." and with that the two men took their leave. Ray let out a sigh of relief and burried his head in his hands, now was probably a good time to run back to his tent. As he ran his hair bounced up and down, even though his boots weren't laced he still managed to stay on his feet without a scrape. 

Ray was not prepared for the scene behind the tent flap as he opened it. Before him stood Joey and Bill with only their trousers on and a towel around their necks, the two of them shot their heads up from their shoes and they locked eyes with the blonde. Ray stood there for about a minute, screaming internally, he could feel his face warm up. 

"Hey Sunshine." Bill greeted nonchalantly, "Ya just gonna stand there like a gargoyle?" 

"I-I'm s-sorry..." Ray squeaked before he turned and sprinted away from the tent, leaving his two friends confused and dumbfounded. 

"Hey, Gonorrhea," Lieb slid a tshirt on, "What do you think that was about?" 

"Dunno." Bill shrugged, "He's an odd one, that kid."


	10. Helluva Way to Die

What am I doing? Where am I going? Why am I running? Questions ran through Ray's head as he sprinted to a row of trees about a mile away from his tent. The blonde turned a corner and pulled himself behind a tree pressing his back against the trunk, clutching his chest and panting heavily, "Phew." he sighed with relief as he slid down into sitting position, his heart beat rapidly and he closed his eyes. His face was flushed red with embarrassment and exhaustion from running. "Idiot!" he smacked his face repeatedly as he tried to burn the image of his two shirtless friends, unfortunately he could not.

"Pearlie whatcha doing over here?" Joey's voice surprised Ray, "Ya just ran off."

"Sorry Lieb..." Ray sighed, his face slowly cooled off and returned to its natural hue, "I just- It's rude to walk in on people when they don't have their clothes on- all of them on." Joey couldn't help but burst into laughter leaving the blonde confused.

"Pearlie," Joey plopped down besides his friend, "This is the army, you're bound to see a couple of stark naked men eventually! No matter how polite you are."

"I'd rather... not see any stark naked guys..." Ray groaned.

"C'mon Pearlie, it's late." Joey hopped to his feet and held his hand out to his friend, "Let's go before we get scolded." Ray grinned and was quickly yanked up to his by Joey and they left to their tent. The two walked side by side underneath the stars, somehow Ray felt calm around Liebgott. Sure he was cute, he was sweet and Ray wished that he would notice him.

"Hey there Sunshine," Bill greeted as the two entered the tent, "What happened back there?"

"I was just taken by surprise," Ray looked down as he blushed softly, "My apologies for being rude." Luz and Toye chuckled before Guarnere shot them both a death glare. Soon all five men were in their cots and drifting off to sleep.

Joey's POV

I had my hands tucked under my head while I lay in the darkness of the tent. There's something suspicious about Ray, although it's just a theory but... I think Ray might be a girl! I mean, he wants privacy when he showers and he got all flustered when he saw Gonorrhea and I without shirts on. He acted odd too while he shoved something in his bag...

0600

All of Easy filed out of their tents to the mess hall for breakfast. Joey sat besides Ray as they ate breakfast, Ray enjoyed his company but he wondered why he felt like this- did Ray have a crush?!- Ray's happy and romantic daydreams were interrupted when Bill Guarnere plopped down in the seat across from him.

"Hey there Sunshine!" Bill smirked, "You're bright as ever."

"And you're as square as ever." Ray smirked back, causing Bill to scowl- his lips twitched slightly as if he was trying to hold back a chuckle.

"The drop's today," Ray poked at his food, "Right?"

"Yup," Joey replied as he sipped his coffee, "Landing in Normandy." Ray nodded as he took a spoonful of cereal and munched it happily, Bill gazed at him with awe and wonder.

Bill's POV

I didn't think Sunshine's joke would make me want to laugh, he may be a homo but he's alright that kid. Adorable, kind, gentle, a pain in the ass and an annoying little- wait, why am I thinking these things?!- I hate Ray, he's too much of an altar boy. I don't know why but everytime he glances at me, his bright blue eyes filled with innocence, I want to smother him with hugs-wait no! I want to break his nose! But it's a cute nose. AH WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! I HATE HIM, IHATEHIMIHATEHIMIHATEHIMILOVEHI- WAIT NO!

Later that day

Ray was sitting between Luz and Toye, the three of them were packing their bag and rechecking if they had all their supplies. Toye began to list off all of his supplies: THREE DAY SUPPLY OF K-RATIONS, CHOCOLATE BARS, CHARMS CANDY, POWDERED COFFEE, SUGAR, MATCHES, COMPASS, BAYONET, ENTRENCHING TOOL, AMMUNITION, GAS MASK, MUSETTE BAG WITH AMMO, HIS WEBBING, HIS .45, CANTEEN, TWO CARTONS OF SMOKES, HAWKINS MINE, TWO GRENADES, SMOKE GRENADE, GAMMA GRENADE, TNT... "And a nasty pair of skivvies!" he finally finished with a complaint about how his bag weighed as much as him.

"Why do you have sugar...?" Ray tilted his head.

"Where do ya keep your brass knuckles?" another soldier added.

"I could use some brass knuckles." Toye nodded with approval, "And I have sugar for the powdered coffee. That's why, Sunshine."

"So is everyone just gonna call me sunshine?" Ray rolled his eyes.

"What? It suits ya!" Bill said from out of nowhere, "Don't it Luz?"

"Sure does!" Luz chimed in.

"You guys are the worst." Ray groaned before standing up with his bag on his back only to wobble and lose his balance. "Oh dear." his arms flailed as he fell on his back like a helpless turtle, the others laughed. Joey passed by and helped the blonde back up to his feet gently.

"Thanks Joey." Ray smiled sweetly.

"Careful there, Pearlie," Joey's voice was calm, Ray adored the nickname he gave him, "Don't want the Krauts to get ya while you're on your back." Ray blushed softly and gently slapped at his friend, Joey chuckled and ruffled Ray's hair. Soon everyone was called to gather around the planes to get ready for their drop, before they hopped on they checked their parachutes to make sure they were in tact. Ray took one last look at the camp in Upottery, England and sighed with pain, tomorrow might be the day he died- the night anyone could die- but he swallowed his fears and followed Joey into the plane.

"What a helluva way to die," he heard one man whisper, "Good luck men."


	11. Falling

The atmosphere in the plane was thick with anxiety and dread- it felt like a lightning storm- Ray was in the midst of it all, he glanced around at the all of the men. Some were smoking, sleeping- or trying to- some read and others prayed. Ray noticed Bill with a string of beads in his hands- a rosary- he instantly assumed that Guarnere was a catholic like himself. Although the Winters family was lutheran, Ray was born in a catholic family and kept their catholic faith. The blonde reached in his pocket and pulled out a violet colored rosary and dangled it around in his fingers, he decided to pray as well- if everyone was going to die why not pray for them to die in a less brutal and painful way?- what was he thinking? They weren't going to die, they were soldiers, they knew how to fight. Bill looked up from the 43 bead of his rosary- the third bead in the 4th decade of Jesus' life- and saw the small violet rosary in Ray's hands.

"You catholic?" Bill motioned to the rosary as he asked Ray. 

"Yeah," Ray gently but quickly shoved his rosary back in his pocket, "Although I don't talk about it much, although it is a part of me it doesn't specify who I am completely." 

"So you're that kind of catholic." 

"What?" 

"Nevermind..." Bill sighed before he went back to his rosary. Ray shrugged and pulled out his journal, everyone would be stuck in their planes for about 7 hours- it was already 6:30 in the evening- it was going to be a long trip... 

Joey's POV 

I was sitting next to a guy named Webster on the plane, he wasn't very talkative he just had his nose in a book. I ignored him and tried to get some sleep, I couldn't help but take one last peek at him before closing my eyes- I couldn't help it, he was handsome. As I slept my mind was making up theories about little Ray, could he possibly be a girl? If so then Ray has some guts to go into war with us, but female or not I will still respect the kid... I'm just scared that they won't see the other side of the rainbow after this war... As I was finally drifting off the plane suddenly shook, "Jesus Christ!" I hissed, "The hell was that?" 

"Most likely turbulence, private," Lt. Winters replied calmly, damn how can he stay so calm? "Go back to sleep." 

"Yes sir." I groaned before pulling my helmet over my eyes to block out some light. I just hopped that we wouldn't die before we got to Normandy. 

back to third person 

Ray began to sketch a morning glory in his journal, the sporadic shaking and jolting of the plane caused him to mess it up, "Augh," he groaned, "Can't a guy draw in peace?" he hissed to himself as he frantically erased the sorry excuse of a flower petal, he noticed Winters' gaze on him. Ray looked up to the ginger with a smile, Winters grinned back. 

"You nervous son?" Winters asked, even though he didn't know the truth he kept on babying Ray. 

"I'll be fine," Ray replied modestly, "I'm just tired." Dick chuckled. 

"It seems like you're always tired, Ray." 

"It seems you may be right sir." Ray giggled. He glanced at the ceiling of the plane, he was bored but at least this would bw the last time he'd be bored for a while... 

+++ 

"Racer!" a 16 year old Richard called angrily, "Race what in heaven's sake are you doing up there?! You could get yourself killed!" He looked up to see his little sister in an old, wheeless, red wagon on top of a mound of scrap metal in a junkyard. Rachel wore denim overalls over a bright pink tshirt, she held a telescope in her hand and had a pirate's hat atop her golden head. 

"I'm a pirate, Richie!" she beamed happily, "And don't worry, I've climbed up here many a time!" she pulled out a wooden toy sword and shouted with glee. She was only 9 at this time, but she acted like a six year old, Richard began getting worked up when he saw the wagon wobbling- he almost had a heart attack- and he whimpered loudly. 

"Racer!" he shouted once more, "Get. Down. Now." 

"You'll never take me alive, landlubber!" Rachel laughed, but soon that laughter turned into shocked screaming when the wagon slid down the metallic slope. "Oh no." was all she could say in the most calm voice she could muster. 

"RACER!" Richard quickly ran over, "Hang on!" Rachel gripped the sides of the wagon as it accelerated down the hill, it was a bumpy ride but she managed to stay calm, Richard jumped in front of the wagon's way in hopes to stop it. Richard then realized that inertia and force were stronger than him, but his sister knew exactly what to do. Rachel took a pipe she had in the wagon and jabbed it into the mound, using it as a brake, the wagon stopped but the child was launched into the air. 

"RICHIE," she screeched as her brother ran below her, "HELP!" 

"I'M TRYING TO OKAY?!" he jumped and caught the girl, both of them suffering from small scrapes. 

+++ 

Ray drifted off to sleep in his spot, the turbulence became ineffective now as he began to dream... 

Hours later 

The plane shook violently, causing Ray to jolt awake. Everyone was panicking and explosions could be heard outside, they were being shot at! Must have reached Normandy. 

"WE GOTTA JUMP LIEUTENANT," a soldier screamed, "OR WE'LL BE BLOWN OUTTA THE SKY!" 

"DOES THAT LIGHT LOOK GREEN TO YOU, PRIVATE?!" Richard scolded back. Yes, they were only allowed to jump when the light was green but if they stayed any longer then they'd surly be dead! There was a shout from the cockpit, the pilot had been hit and the copilot began to speak over the PA system. 

"The engines have been hit! You fellas gotta jump now!" and with that the light changed green. Richard stood up and stood before the men. 

"Gentlemen!" he yelled over the gunshots and the sounds of the failing engines, "Stand up!" he motioned with his hands and began to shout out directions. Everyone began checking their comrades bags and counting off. 

"7 okay!" a soldier called as he patted the bag of the man in front of him. 

"6 okay!" said another. and it continued until it reached Ray. 

"Th-three okay!" the blonde stuttered nervously. He could feel his heart beating rapidly as he saw the flashes from anti-aircraft bullets tearing through the night sky. 

"1 okay!" Richard called, "Let's go! Let's go, let's go!" and one by one men lept out of the plane, some were hesitant but eventually jumped anyways. Soon enough it was Ray's turn, he sucked in a breath and looked down at the mess of the earth. He was scared, he couldn't do it, he didn't have the courage. 

"Jump, Ray!" Richard yelled, snapping the boy from his thoughts, "Jump!!" and with that Ray shut his eyes and plummeted down from the sky, his chute opened aand he floated down as the sounds of explosions and gunshots surrounded him. Ray took one last glance up at the plane, Richard was the last to jump out, before it burst into a disastrous fireball. The enemies were shooting at the paratroopers floating down to the ground, this was when Ray knew that he lost all his hope. This was it, this was the end...


	12. Normandy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Ray is lost?

Ray landed in a secluded field. He tore off his parachute and grabbed his things, he was all alone with the gunshots and dying screams coming from all sides, he hyperventilated and clutched his chest. He could feel hot tears form in his eyes, where was Richard when he needed him? Ray knew that if he stayed out in the open any longer he'd surely be shot at so he sucked up his fear and darted into a row of hedges. The blonde curled up into a ball and held his knees close to his chest, a twig snapped somewhere close to him and he jolted with paranoia. 

"Flash!" said a quiet voice, it was one of Ray's men. 

"Th-thunder!" Ray called back, out from the shadows came Richard and another soldier, "L-lieutenant!" Ray darted towards the familiar faces. 

"How ya doing private?" Winters smiled, "Glad we found you. Have you seen any others?" 

"No sir, but do you know where we are?" 

"We're in Normandy, private." Winters replied flatly. That was helpful, "You got a weapon private?" Ray shook his head and Winters nodded. The ginger lieutenant began to guide the lost soldiers to try to find the rest of their unit, on the way they picked up others who were lost but not from their company. Some from Fox Company, others from Able, and some from Dog. It had been about 25 minutes when Winters decided to stop and pull out his map. "Do you have your rain coat private?" he asked a soldier. 

"Here sir," the private responded whilst pulling out a sheet. 

"Thank you." And with that Winters stood up and messed around with his pants zipper, Ray pursed his lips and looked down at his feet while two other privates just glanced at each other. Winters pulled out a tiny compass and tossed the coat over himself, he turned on his flashlight and scanned the map. "Seven kilometers from our check point," he handed the coat back to its owner, "Four hours walk away." 

"Well," Guarnere peeped, "We gotta hurry if we wanna get to our boys on time!" and with that everyone began running off. 

A few Kilometers later... 

The group stopped behind some shrubbery and trees, the sounds of a carriage and Nazis could be heard coming closer, "Sergeant," Winters whispered to Guarnere, "Wait for my signal then shoot." Guarnere just stared angrily at Winters, the ginger told the instructions to the other soldiers who had weapons with them, everyone waited for the signal. Everyone but Guarnere. Sgt. Guarnere stood up and began to shoot a hail of bullets on the targets, Winters looked at him annoyed. Soon everyone else began to fire, Ray stood still as fear coursed through his veins. He didn't sign up for this... Once all the enemies were dead, Guarnere kept on shooting. 

"THAT'S ENOUGH GUARNERE!" Winters shouted as he grabbed the man by his shoulder. The two of them glared at each other, tension growing, "Next time when I say to wait for my command you wait for my command, sergeant!" 

"Yes sir," Guarnere replied through gritted teeth. Winters turned and walked off, "Fine, ya quaker." Guarnere hissed under his breath, but Ray was close enough to hear. The blonde clenched his fist and stood in front of his sergeant with a cold and icy stare, Bill glared down at him with confusion and annoyance. 

"Whaddya want, Sunshine?" Bill growled. Ray stood his ground, still glaring, "Outta my way private." Bill shoved Ray out of his way and continued walking, the blonde stared after him still full of anger. 

"Come on sunshine." a soldier peeped, "We gotta get moving." Ray nodded and finally continued to walk. 

"You got a name, blondie?" the same soldier asked, "Or do they all just call you Sunshine?" 

"Pearl," Ray muttered, "The journalist." "Oh, you're that one! You're kinda famous ya know?" 

"Really?" Ray smirked. 

"Yeah, oh I'm Christensen." The soldier, Christensen replied. 

"Nice to meet you. Don't get yourself killed." 

"Oh." 

More hours later... 

The lost group of soldiers finally made it to their checkpoint, they found the other companies there, Winters had disappeared but Ray hung around Liebgott and the others. "Pearlie," Liebgott started as he lit a cigarette, "How was your drop?" 

"What a way to start a conversation," Ray grinned, "It was hectic. Yours?" 

"Likewise!" Just then more men filed into the camp, "Pearlie, I want you to meet some people." Joey took Ray by the hand and began to drag him along, Ray couldn't help but blush softly. Joey's hand was strong and stern, it was also kind and peppered with calluses. Ray could feel his heart beating in his throat and his mind race with thoughts of intimacy- not the lewd and sultry type of intimacy, but the sweet and warm intimacy- cuddling, hand holding, dancing, just enjoying each other's presence. 

Finally the two of them stopped, "Ray, meet the tumbling trio! Malarkey, Penkala and Skip." Joey introduced all three men to his small friend, "Boys, this is Ray Pearl." 

"The journalist?" Malarkey asked with surprise, "Wow, he's smaller than I expected!" 

"Yeah- wait, did you just call me small?!" Ray hissed. 

"You sure he's a soldier?" Penkala chimed in, "Looks to angelic to be a soldier." 

"Welcome aboard kid!" Skip beamed. 

"I'm not small..." Ray whined. The men began to chat away for a few minutes until Malarkey decided to wander off. Minutes later Malarkey ran back with a look of shock on his face...


	13. Shoot to Kill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray hesitates to kill another man

"Alright men," Winters ordered," There's a group of 88mm guns attacking our boys at Utah! Our job is to clear the trenches! We're heading out in five minutes!" His statement was met with groans of annoyance.

"Don't they know we're just getting settled here?" An intimidating soldier hissed, Malarkey seemed to be on edge just by hearing his voice. Ray noticed and elbowed the ginger man gently. 

"Malarkey," he whispered, "That's your name right?" 

"Yeah," the ginger replied, "It is, Pearl." 

"Everything alright? You seem tense." 

"I'll tell you later." He looked to Ray painfully, the blonde understood and nodded before patting his new friend's shoulder. 

Ray's friend group was halfway assembled and ready to go, they were missing Toye, Luz and Guarnere. The three men seemed to be conversing with a young man who seemed to be 19 years old. 

"See ya around, Hall..." Toye said as he threw his pack over his shoulder and he made his way to his group, soon everyone marched out. 

Later... 

Everyone was screaming and running about, three paratroopers were lined up and threw their mortars in unison. A big explosion could be heard and smoke rose from the area the grenades had landed, Ray was frantically scurrying about in the trenches with his team. He knew he he had to shoot another human at some point but he was scared, he couldn't do it, he couldn't possibly end the life of another living thing. He was torn, but this, this was war and there's absolutely no room for a heart of gold or a sense of humanity. 

"RAY!" Winters cried, "FIRE YOUR WEAPON AT THE ENEMY, YOU ARE A SOLDIER!" Ray was shocked to hear her own brother tell them to end someone's life. Ray couldn't do it- Rachel couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger- but the blonde forced the gun onto his shoulder for a steady aim. Ray gazed through his scope and tried to steady his breathing... 

(flashback) 

A 12 year old Richard was being kicked and ridiculed by 4 school yard bullies, he couldn't fight back- they were stronger than him and he was outnumbered- he couldn't help but cry. The ginger's pale face streaked with dirt and bruises as he crawled on the ground to gather up his belongings. 

"Aw," one of the bullies teased, "Is the baby gonna cry and run home to his mommy?" Laughter soon followed. Richard had his books and papers finally in his bag only to have it kicked from his hands once again, it was hopeless. The four bullies continued to laugh and tease the red head on the ground. 

"HEY!" a small voice sliced through the laughter, everyone turned their heads in the direction it came from to see a small blonde girl, "Leave him alone!" Rachel huffed. 

"Hey, Bruce," one of the bullies furrowed his brows, "Who's the girlie?" 

"I dunno." Said Bruce. Richard's eyes widened when he saw her standing there, was she crazy?! 

"R-Rachel..." Richard whimpered, "Rachel no!" 

"Oh, so you know the girl?" Bruce smirked, "What is she, like a playmate or something?" He laughed and shoved Richard's head into the dirt. Rachel gritted her teeth and took a step forward. 

"Uh-oh, the tiny girl is angry!" 

"I said," Rachel growled, "Leave. Him. ALONE!" She pulled out a slingshot and fired a rock at the unsuspecting bullies. 

(....) 

"THIS IS A WAR, RAY!" Winters shouted between gunshots, "IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED." Ray bit his tongue and hovered his finger over the trigger, nervous perspiration ran down his back and his heart finally steadied. Ray took a deep breath and fired... 

(...) 

The rock hit one of the bullies in the shoulder, causing him to buckle over in pain. Rachel stood her ground and glared, reloading another pebble into her sling, "You little brat," Bruce hissed, "GET HER!" and with that they began to chase the small blonde. 

"Rachel!" Richard gasped and ran after them, fearing that his sister would be caught. Rachel was faster than all four of them, she stopped behind a tree once or twice to fire a pebble or two before scurrying off again. She was leading the four boys to a small stream that was littered with pebbles. She jumped into the ravine and crouched down to grab some small stones. 

"We got her cornered!" One of the bullies chimed happily before he was hit in the stomach by a pebble. 

(...) 

The bullet hit a Kraut who was aiming for one of Ray's comrades, the enemy soldier fell dead along with his gun, the blonde's eyes widened when he had realized what he had done. Ray could feel his chest pounding violently as his voice choked him, "I-" he whispered, "I- I'm s- sorry..." was all he could muster before aiming his M1 at another enemy. 

(...) 

Rachel fired pebble after pebble until the bullies ran off in defeat, leaving Richard dumbfounded and in awe. As Rachel leapt out of the ravine he ran up to her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Rachel." He whispered, "You saved me." Rachel pulled away from the hug and looked up at her brother, head tilted. 

"Come on," Richard sighed, "Let's go home." Before he could walk off, Rachel placed a damp handkerchief against his dirt stained cheek. He was taken by surprise. 

"Momma and papa will be curious about why you have dirt on your face," Rachel replied blandly as she wiped off the muck and dirt, "Hold still." 

(...) 

Ray's thoughts were interrupted when Winters shouted to warn everyone of an incoming grenade. Everyone fell to the ground off to the side, "Toye!" Winters glanced behind him, "Roll out, roll out!" 

Toye did as told and flopped over an injured soldier he was taking care of, shielding him from the blast and flying dirt. 

"AAAAHHH!!!" the wounded man cried, "GET OFF, GET OFF IT HURTS!" 

"I'M SORRY POP!" Toye screeched back as he dusted the both of them off, "You're gonna have to make it to the CP station on your own, can you do that?" 

"Yeah..." Pop whimpered back. 

"Okay." Winters and Toye lifted the wounded man and tossed him out of the trenches. "Popeye!" Toye called before he tossed up his gun. 

"Thanks!" Popeye muttered before crawling away. 

The trenches were finally cleared and the enemies were retreating. Winters had found a map of some sorts and took it with him, "Alright men," he glanced around, "Pack up your gear and we'll get back to camp." 

"Yes sir!" Everyone chimed in unison before Winters wondered off, Ray ran after him, his pack bounced back and forth as he ran. 

"Hey there Ray," Winters smiled, "Why aren't you with the others?" 

"Um, I don't like big groups all that much," Ray shrugged, "What about you?" 

"Checking for any injured or deaths." 

"So am I." Ray grinned. 

"You are so like my sister." Dick shook his head with a smile. The two of them hopped into a trench and scanned the area, Dick stuck his hand out and stopped Ray before he knelt to the ground. There lay the body of a young man, Dick waved a hand in front of the body's eyes in hopes for a reaction. 

"Hall," Winters called his name, "Hall!" No response, Winters sighed sadly and motioned Ray to come along with him. The blonde hovered over the limp body of the soldier he saw an hour earlier, Hall, full of life but now... He must've activated a mine trap by accident... Ray knelt besides his body and gently ran his hand over Hall's eyes, closing them to allow his soul peace...


	14. Shooting Stars are the Sky's Tears

Night fell and everyone was in there prefered tent- which was basically the bed of their trucks with a tarp on top- and preparing their k-rations. Malarkey and Ray were chatting about why Malark was so tense before they left to attack the 88mms, "That guy," Malarkey whispered to the blonde, "That's Ronald Speirs, he killed all 20 of those German POWs. They were from the States too!"

"Wait, really?" Ray widened his eyes, "The POWs were from the States?"

"Yeah, one of them from my home state, Oregon."

"Why would Speirs do that...?"

"Because they're Nazis, Sunshine, and this is war..." Malarkey's last statement had Ray frozen, two things ran through the blonde's head: There is little to no humanity in a war, and do not get on Speirs' bad side...

"Hey, Sunshine?" Malarkey changed the topic, "You eat yet?"

"Not yet," Ray responded politely, "I was gonna look for a group to hang with. Might hang around Lieb."

"Well, if you change your mind, I got a spot saved for you in my tent."

"Thanks Malark." Ray grinned, "You're a good egg."

Ray noticed Liebgott pass by as he wandered off to find Toye, Luz, and Perconte. Ray said his goodbyes to his new companion before running after Joey. "Joey!" the blonde beamed, "Hey."

"Hey, Pearlie." Joey smiled back, "Tagging along?"

"You bet I am!"

"Typical Pearlie." Joey chuckled as he shook his head. The two friends walked in silence, Ray didn't mind though because he was with the one who made his heart a fluttering mess; if he kept his feelings in any longer then it would be too late. Ray stopped and tugged at Liebgott's sleeve, the messy haired brunette turned his head and fixed his gaze on his friend.

"Joey," Ray looked away, his face a flushed mess, "I... I need to tell you something..."

"Well," Joey tilted his head, "Don't bite my head off!"

"I... I like you."

"I like you too, Ray. You're my friend!"

"No, not like that. I like like you. I have feelings for you!" Joey's eyes widened with shock, he didn't know what to do for he did not feel the same way towards his friend.

"Oh..." was all he could muster, "Oh."

"I-I'm sorry..." Ray was on the verge of tears, "I'm sorry!"

"You're my friend, Ray, I'm sorry but I only see you as a friend." Ray nodded and sniffled before running off without another word. Leaving Liebgott all alone underneath the night sky.

The blonde ran as far away as he could from Liebgott, silent tears streamed down his face like falling stars. He reached Malarkey's tent and wiped his eyes before hopping in without a word.

"Look who decided to show up!" Guarnere smirked.

Malarkey grinned and handed the boy a can of food, "Ray," he beamed, "Glad you joined us!" Ray nodded and took the hot food gently, his blue eyes never leaving the ground. Malark knew something was up but didn't want to press any questions in fear that Ray would get upset.

Everyone chatted happily while they ate, except Ray for he was just staring at the ground. Bill nudged the blonde gently, "Hey," he got Ray's attention, "Ain't ya gonna eat?" Ray only shook his head and said nothing.

"Come on, Sunshine," Muck poked him with a spoon, "You gotta eat!"

Ray shook his head in a more violent manner.

"Christ," Bill groaned before angrily taking the can from Ray's hands, "Do I gotta force feed ya?" Ray hummed in protest and shook his head more angrily until Bill gripped the blonde's chin and forced a spoonful of food past his lips.

"Nnngggghhh!" Ray groaned with the spoon hanging from his mouth.

"Eat!" Bill hissed, "Now!" as the spoon was removed from Ray's mouth he quickly spat out the food at Bill's face. The chatter in the tent abruptly stopped, all eyes were on the two men, bits of food dripping from Bill's face.

Muck could only whistle as he turned his cheek, pretending he didn't notice. Ray coughed before scowling up at Bill who was scowling back at him with the same intensity, sending chills down Ray's spine.

"You little punk..." Bill growled, "That's it!" he roughly yanked Ray by the hair and pushed him back, the three other men in the tent jumped to their feet to try to stop him.

"Bill!" Malarkey tried to pry Bill's hand off of the blonde, "Cut it out!"

"If he ain't gonna eat then I'm gonna make him eat!" Bill clasped his hand around Ray's small face, causing Ray to open his mouth suddenly. Ray tried to nudge Bill away with his knee but the latter was stronger than him, Bill shoved the spoon back into Ray's mouth and held his chin down to make sure the blonde actually ate the food. Bill's eyes met with Ray's and his anger slowly subsided.

"Bill," Penkala peeped with concern, "Don't you think you're being a bit too rough with him?"

"He brought this on himself!" Bill hissed, "Now swallow!" he scolded Ray. The blonde reluctantly did as told, Bill finally backed off leaving Ray a coughing and sputtering mess. After minutes of silence, Ray straightened himself in his seat and began to eat somberly, there was still tension in the air- Ray was still silent- until Bill decided to speak up.

"You're quieter than usual, Sunshine," He lit a cigarette, "What happened?"

"Maybe he's quiet because you just forced food down his throat, Gonorrhea!" Muck scolded.

"Shut up!"

"I'm fine." Ray replied through gritted teeth, "I'll be fine."

"You're not fine, Ray." Malarkey placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, "You can tell us, we'll listen." Ray glanced up at the man, a whimper escaping from the small blonde's mouth followed by a nod. Ray told all four of them everything. From him having feelings for Liebgott to him being rejected minutes ago, he tried his best to hold back his tears but it was useless. Everyone was silent, besides the soft sniffles from Ray.

Bill could feel his heart plummet and hit the ground only to shatter into pieces. He knew he probably didn't have a chance with Ray but seeing his friend- his friend he had feelings for- like this hurt him. Soon his pain turned into anger, he clenched his fists and stood up suddenly, "I'll be right back..." he stated coldly before hopping out of the tent and leaving his friends in confusion.

To be continued...

Author's note: Drama~~~~~ Thank yall for coming this far with me. Ive grown to love and cherish the stories i write- not... I still think my stories are terrible. But hey you guys like them so... Im doing a good job?- i usually cuss but im trying not to for a while. Stay tuned for more!


	15. Can't Help

Bill trudged off into the night, fuming with rage, his destination was Joe Liebgott. Bill wanted to show that angry messy haired suck up the same pain Ray felt when he broke his heart. "LIEBGOTT?!" Bill shouted, "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" from Malarkey's tent the three friends poked their heads out in curiosity, Liebgott shuffled out of his tent and stood before Guarnere.

"Oh no." Muck blinked, "This ain't gonna end well."

"Should we stop them?" Penkala asked.

"I don't know?" Malarkey retorted. Soon the sounds of cheering could be heard, Bill and Joey were fighting yet again but this time there were actual injuries. Bill was fixated on breaking Joey's nose, while Joey was confused as hell and trying to avoid getting hit.

"This is for Sunshine!" Bill hissed as he caught Joey off guard, throwing his fist against the Jew's cheek sending Liebgott flying to the dirt. "Now you'll feel the same pain he felt."

"What's Pearlie got to do with this?" Joey growled while holding his cheek, "Why bring him into your fight? It ain't fair for him is it?" He was back on his feet.

"Shut up!" Bill aimed for Joey's nose in hopes to break it, his attempt failed and he ended up just bruising the nose and causing it to bleed. Ray stuck his head out to see what the hell was going on, his eyes widened at the scene before him. Joey roundhouse kicked Bill, causing him to topple over. Liebgott turned to walk back to his tent only to be pulled into a chokehold, Ray snapped and hopped out darting for the two men.

"STOP IT!" the blonde cried, "STOP IT THE BOTH OF YOU!" but to no avail it did not work. Ray had to physically wedge himself between the two to break up the fight, shoving Joey to one side and Bill to the other, breathing heavily in anger and pain.

"Pearlie," Joey finally spoke after a few moments of silence, "Pearl, I'm sorry, I-"

"Shut-" Ray raised a hand, "Shut- just- just shut up. Shut up!" It hurt Bill to see Ray like this...

"Sunshine-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Ray snapped, covering his ears frantically, "I-its gonna be fine, everything will be fine." he began to laugh weakly. Concern grew around the two who stood on each side of him, Bill gripped Ray by the shoulder and dragged the blonde with him so that they could talk in private. After the two were 4 meters away, Ray wriggled free from Bill's grip and shoved him against a stack of crates.

"What the hell was that?!" Ray exploded, "Huh?! Why?!"

"Sunshine," Bill's voice was calm, "He hurt you-"

"So that's is what this is?! Look, it's one thing to be upset about what happened but dealing with problems that aren't yours?"

"Sunshine, I-"

"No! I'm not done yet! I don't need someone to fix my own problems!" Ray's breathing was ragged, his chest heaved and he was on the verge of tears yet again. There was a long moment of silence and tension, Ray wiped his eyes against his sleeve and Bill wanted to make the blonde happy.

"Sunshine," he spoke softly, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Ray hiccuped, "Yeah right." Ray rushed off into the darkness and Bill quickly called after him.

"Sunshine!" Ray kept on running, "Sunshine! Pearl! Ray!" Ray stopped and turned his head. Their eyes met, Ray's filled with pain and despair while Bill's were filled with worry and pleading. Ray darted and faded in the night, leaving Bill speechless and empty.

Back at the tent, the tumbling trio was playing a round of poker when Bill returned. Malarkey poked his head up with a smile- hoping to see Ray- which quickly faded when he saw who it was. "Where's Sunshine?" he asked concerned.

"Dunno," Bill shrugged before plopping down besides Muck, "He ran off."

"And ya didn't think to go after the kid?" Muck said irritated.

"The kid was upset, alright? Cut me some slack!" after Bill's last statement the tent fell silent and everyone went back to playing cards while Bill sat in his corner and sulked.

Meanwhile

Ray was curled up behind a vacant truck he sat there and cried silently and listened as his heart fell apart, microscopic piece by microscopic piece, until it was a pile of red shards on the ground. The one he loved had rejected him, this might be the end of their friendship, and Bill was trying to fight Ray's battles for him. It was frustrating. Ray tilted his head up to the stars, his misty blue eyes twinkled in the starlight, he sat there wondering how he ended up in this mess. He cared, that's why. All Ray wanted was to see the end of this war, to see their mother again- their real mother. Just then, Ray's thoughts were interrupted by soft approaching footsteps. Ray jolted in his spot and shrunk into the shadows, wanting to be alone, "Sunny?" it was Luz, "Sunny ya over here?"

"Luz?" Ray poked his head up, "What's up?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" George chuckled before sitting next to the blonde, Ray shrugged reluctantly, "I saw what happened- well almost everyone did because you three mooks were so loud!" Ray smiled weakly.

"Why did you come after me?" Ray's voice was shaky.

"You are my friend, aren't you?" Ray nodded at Luz's comment, "Whatever happens just know that I got your back, so does Liebgott, Toye, and the other fellas. If you ever have anything on your chest and its waying ya down, you can tell ol' Luz and I'll listen."

"Thanks, George." Ray smiled, "You're sweet."

"Don't mention it, Ray."


	16. Infantry Angel

Ray yawned and rubbed his eyes, "Tired?" George asked, Ray nodded and tried to keep himself awake, "Wanna go back to my tent? It's close by-"

"But my stuff is in the other tent..." Ray mumbled, "But I'm too sleepy to get up..."

"Here," George straightened himself, "You can lay your head on my shoulder and then later I'll carry you to your tent." Ray didn't refuse, his blonde head rested on his friend's shoulder, his breathing steadied. George couldn't help but smile and pull his small friend close, he wanted so much to adopt little Ray and have a little family with himself and Toye.

"Luz ya over here?" Toye called from the corner, he was angrily shushed by George who pointed at the tiny blonde, "Oh. Sorry!" Toye whisper yelled back before taking a seat next to Ray.

"Wait, you two aren't-?" Toye growled posessively.

"No, no, no!" George hissed softly, "He just fell asleep!"

"Right..." Joe cocked an eyebrow, both men jumped when Ray stirred in his sleep and muttered incoherently. "Good morning Sunshine." Joe smiled.

"Aw, look Joe," George groaned, "Ya woke the baby!"

"Uncomfortable..." Ray rubbed his eyes, "You're a bad pillow..."

"Pffft!" Joe snickered but was soon stopped when the blonde rested his head on his shoulder, "Oh- um."

"Adorable right?" George mouthed happily, Joe nodded in response, "Can we keep him, Joe?"

"What?! No!"

"Please?"

"We ain't keeping him."

"Please hun?" George flashed his boyfriend the puppy eyes, "Please, please, pleeeeaaaassseee?" Joe finally caved in, he pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Fine," At hearing this George gave his lover the biggest goofy grin he could muster, "But if he steals my brass knuckles then he's gone."

"Will do, Corporal!" George said flirtatiously causing Joe to roll his eyes and gently push Ray onto George's shoulder.

"I'm heading back to the tent," Joe knelt besides the other, "You dropping Sunshine off first?"

"Yeah, you can go ahead without me if you want."

"Will do, Luz." Joe sweetly kissed George's forehead as he ruffled his hair before he walked off, leaving George a smiling mess. Luz sat there in silence before he nudged Ray awake, the blonde stirred softly and groaned. George felt bad for disturbing Ray's sleep but it had to be done.

"Sunshine, c'mon let's go," He was only met with the groggy grumbles from Ray, "Here, hop on my back, I gotta get you back to your tent." Ray didn't protest any further as he wrapped his arms around George's neck and his legs around his waist, once he was securely on hjs back George hoisted himself up quickly. Ray jerked at the sudden movements, shrinking closer to his friend.

Moments later, George poked his head into Ray's tent, the other men turned their heads towards him, "Delivery for ya, gents." George smiled brightly as he motioned his head back to the sleeping blonde, Bill was glaring at him. Malarkey approached George slowly, not to wake Ray, but was cut off by Bill who roughly yanked Ray off of George's back as if the blonde were a kitten. Everyone's eyes widened in shock, what was Bill thinking?!

"Bill!" George hissed, "Be gentle with the kid! He's sleeping!"

"Yeah, whatever," Bill grumbled as he cradled Ray like a baby, "Why are you still here?"

"Hey, be nice." Malarkey butted in, "Thanks Luz, goodnight." he gave George a nod before he departed. Finally there was silence all around and everyone was retreating to their tents for sleep, Ray's sleeping bag had already been laid out and all that had to be done was to place his body inside it. Bill tried his best to set the blonde down gently but to him the term 'gently' did not exist. Ray's head hit the floor of the truck with a thump, fortunately he stayed asleep. Everyone in the tent quietly gave Bill hell about the way he'd handled Ray but he just ignored them all.

"Good night, boys." Compton yawned before sliding into his sleeping bag at the far end of the truck, he was out like a log.

"Night Malark, Penk, Bill!" Muck chirped happily before flopping his head on his pillow.

"Night Muck, Malark, Bill." Penkala replied before doing the same.

"Good night..." Malarkey yawned as he reached over to turn the lamp off before he lay down. Leaving Bill alone in the darkness, he glanced down at the sleeping Ray who was closest to the exit of the tent and next to Bill. He sighed before sinking away into his sleeping bag, he rolled onto his side to face Ray; the blonde looked so peaceful in his sleep- there was not a care in the world that had him worried- he was like an angel. Ray was Bill's angel, but he didn't want to admit it, just as this thought ran through his head Bill smacked himself hard.

"The hell am I thinking?" he whispered to himself before rolling over to his other side, "Ray is just some annoying kid in the army, that's all..."


	17. Carentan part 1

"Ray!" An angry voice yelled, "Wake up!" Ray stirred in his sleep with a grumble, his golden hair a tangled mess.

"Don't wanna..." Ray groaned, only to be yanked up by his collar. The blonde's eyes focused to the morning light only to notice that he was face to face with Bill Guarnere. "Mind puttin' me down?"

"Wake up private." Bill hissed coldly, "We're moving out in an hour." And with that he let go of Ray, letting his body plop back onto his pillow, the blonde groaned annoyingly before he finally pulled himself out of bed and rolled up his sleeping bag and walking out to get food. The sunlight was warm, it was June 10th of 1944, Ray didn't know how much longer he could keep up the "being a boy" act with the summer heat and bound chest. She didn't know who to confide in, George said that he was always willing to listen but how would he react?

"Hey, Pearlie!" A familiar voice called out, Joey (Liebgott) was making his way over to Ray, "Hey, I just wanna apologize for how I behaved yesterday."

"I'm still upset," Ray pursed his lips, "But I forgive you... Just... Please don't hate me, if you want to end our friendship that's okay. I underst-"

"The hell you talkin' about? End our friendship? No way!"

"You mean it?" Ray's voice was filled with pain and relief, "A-after what happened?" 

"Yeah!" Joey beamed, Ray smiled back and the two of them kept walking as they chatted happily, that was until Bill stomped his way over to them angrily. Joey puffed out his chest and stood his ground until Bill shoved passed him to stand by Ray's side.

"Mornin Sunshine!" The man from Philly greeted, "Doing okay?" 

"Scuse me, Gonorrhea," Joey shoved Ray behind him, "But I was talking to Pearl first."

"Yeah, so?"

"Ya can't just push me outta the way!"

"Well too bad, I just did."

"Can you two not argue, please?" Ray hissed as he got his food, "Especially if it's about me."

"Sorry, Sunshine." Bill replied flatly, his eyes never leaving Joey's.

Ray sat down between George and Joe, apparently they'd be heading to Carentan. Another blonde sat across from Ray, he had the face of an angel yet he looked so scared. "Hi!" Ray grinned sweetly, taking the other by surprise, "Haven't seen you around." 

The other blonde shook his head in response, he hadn't seen Ray either but he'd like to get to know him.

"I'm Ray, Ray Pearl," he extended his hand out to the other, "What about you? What do they call you?"

"Blithe," the other blonde shook his hand, "Albert." 

"Nice to meet you, Blithe!" From the corner of his eye Ray could see Bill glaring angrily, he couldn't help but sigh and turn to face him. "Got something to say Bill?"

"Yeah," Bill growled, "Why ya being all buddy buddy with this guy?"

"Just trying to be polite- don't mind him Blithe, he's always grumpy." Ray scolded.

"Ya hardly even know him!"

"So? I can make friends with whoever the hell I want!" Ray said with an air of confidence, oh how Bill wished to crush this confident facade of his. "Besides, why do you care?" 

"Yeah, Bill," Joey piped up, "It's not like you two are a thing!" At the last statement both Bill and Ray turned a slight pink, Ray wanted to punch Liebgott in the gut while Bill just wanted to shoot him right there. Bill realized how much he liked Ray's presence, sure the blonde was annoying but Bill would choose that over any one night stand. That smile, that laugh, that snarky attitude, those bright blue eyes and that angelic voice could make Bill fall to his knees.

"Shut up, Jew." Bill hissed, his comment gained a kick in the shin from yours truly. "Ow! The hell was that for?!"

"Be nice!" Ray huffed.

"Fine, ya damn Ray of Sunshine."

Later

Easy Company would be leaving in 15 minutes, Ray thought it'd be a good time to tell Joey and George the truth. The blonde was already packed up, he took a deep breath and approached his closest or friends, "Luz, Lieb," his heart was racing, "Could I talk to you guys real quick, in private?" The two men exchanged glances between each other before nodding. 

"Would it be alright if Toye came along, Ray?" George piped, Ray hesitated a moment before nodding. George whistled Joe over and the four friends shuffled over behind a vacant truck, Ray bit his lip before turning to face his friends. 

"What's up Ray?" George pressed politely, "Something the matter?"

"No- yes- but- dammit..." the blonde groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I need to tell you guys the truth, I trust you, please don't tell anyone else..." 

"We promise Sunshine,' George smiled reassuringly, "Remember what I told ya? If there's anything on your chest weighing you down, you can tell me, I'll listen." 

"We all will, Ray." Toye nodded. "You're one of us now."

"We got your back." Joey added. Ray smiled awkwardly and scratched his head, he sighed deeply and began to spill the truth. About who she really was, about hers and Richard's relationship, the only thing she asked for in return was that whether they see her as a woman or a man... That they still see her as a soldier.

"That's it," Ray shrugged, "That's my story- my whole story-" 

"Wait, wait, wait," George waved his hands, "So you're not exactly a boy." Ray nodded. 

"What do you want us to refer to you as?" Joey asked, "Refer to you as a girl or a boy?" 

"For now," Ray blinked, "For now refer to me as a boy. I don't want Richie- erh... Lt. Winters finding out."

"Should we call you Ray still or Rachel?" Joe mentioned, "I'm fine either way, as long as I know it's you."

"I like Ray the most." Ray nodded. 

"Ray it is then!" Joey beamed, "Now come on, we gotta get going!" And with that the four of them ran off to join their platoon.

(A/N: I will be referring to Ray as "they/them"- i may go back and forth with "she/her" and "they/them"- when they're with friends but for now they will go by "he/him" until further notice.)

At Carentan

"GET TO COVER!" someone shouted, bullets from SMGs sliced through the air. Soldiers were ducking into trenches, some charging forward only to be shot, Ray couldn't see George anywhere- the man was the one with the radio so that was probably why- he adjusted his helmet and pushed himself up.

"DO NOT HIDE IN THE TRENCHES!" Winters ordered, "GET OUT OF THE TRENCHES, COME ON! MEN ARE DYING OUT THERE!" As Ray darted across carefully, he saw Blithe curled up in a ball in a trench, he looked so frightened, it hurt to see him like that. Winters was trying to get him out of the trench but his attempts were failing. Ray rushed over to him, tapping the tall ginger on the shoulder.

"Lieutenant," he nodded, "I got this, go on ahead." Winters locked eyes with the blonde before nodding and running off. Ray knelt besides Blithe and gently placed a hand on his arm, Blithe was a crying mess and was in no shape to fight but Ray knew he could do it.

"Hey," Ray called out calmly, "Hey, Blithe! Hey!" He got the other blonde's attention. 

"I know it's scary, Blithe, but everyone depends on us!" 

"I'm scared!" Blithe cried, "I- I can't!" 

"We're all scared Blithe, but we have to keep moving! I'll be by your side, I promise!" Ray extended his hand, Blithe just looked at him in awe before he gripped Ray's small hand. Ray yanked Blithe up into crawling position, he nodded and then sprinted off with Blithe following close behind. There was a symphony of blood curdling screams, Ray bit his tongue to keep himself from crying, every once in a while he checked over his shoulder to make sure Blithe was still there. 

"KRAUTS IN THE OPEN!" Compton yelled, Ray looked to his left and saw an unaware Nazi soldier. He quickly pulled the trigger and injured him. 

"Dammit!" The blonde hissed as the wounded soldier reached for his gun, "Blithe, get to cover!" Ray gripped his comrade by the sleeve and yanked the two of them behind a wall. Blithe was amazed at the amount of courage Ray had, Ray poked his head out from the wall and shot once more. Ending the Nazi's life. Shock and regret clouded his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Blithe heard Ray whisper, "Come on, let's go!" And with that the two of them rushed off.


End file.
